Another New Life
by blueskies723
Summary: After months of getting used to the new changes,everyone at SVU is getting along.But when one of thier own is beaten and raped, nothing is normal with the squad anymore. Disclaimer and Author's Note inside.
1. Suspicious New Case

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the SVU characters(unfortunately)**

**Author's Notes: This SVU fanfic is going to be a little different from all the other ones I've written. I'm stepping out of my comfort zone, and I think that I'm doing well so far. First, the legal information about charging someone with rape/assault may be a bit iffy(even though I did do a lot of research. It took almost over an hour until I found what I was looking for). But I think otherwise, you will definitely like this fanfic. **

**This has nothing to do with this fanfic, but look out for a Christmas SVU one shot piece on December 's a missing piece from my piece,Sweet Revenge(and someone commented, saying that they don't approve of the Kim bashing. Just a reminder, I wrote that when Kim pretty much bashed Casey on "Confessions". I'm actually warming up to Kim since then, even though Casey is still my favorite :( ).**

**Also, if there's arguments between Kim and the rest of the team, it's only because of this one pelicular case. You'll see why eventually.**

**And one more thing, the first chapter is a cliffhanger. Ahaha, you must hate me now. :)**

**But read and enjoy anyway! :)**

**-blueskies723**

* * *

It was a normal night at the Precinct. Olivia and Elliot were sitting at their desks, talking amongst themselves. The cases they worked on were currently with Greyleck, who was prosecuting them within several days. So they decided to order Chinese food, like they usual do.

"You know, I haven't had Chinese food in awhile" Elliot said as he took a forkful of his Chinese noodles "I can't even remember the last time we ate take out."

"Well someone has short term memory. I think the last time we ate take out was in early December" Olivia said.

"Wow, we haven't eaten Chinese food in almost 5 months?"

"We've been so busy since then with cases."

"I know, I know."

The both of them continued eating their food until Fin approached them.

"Hey Fin" Olivia said as Fin stood in front of them.

"Want some noodles?" Elliot asked.

"I'm good. You might want to stop eating that though, because we just have a new case."

"We have another case already?" Olivia asked.

"Yeah, The hospital called and said that a woman was beaten and raped near her apartment in the Upper West Side of Manhattan" Fin explained "The captain recommended that you go to the crime scene first."

"What are we waiting for? Let's go."

* * *

"We didn't find any evidence. When we got here, it was too late to collect anything."

Olivia and Elliot were standing outside the corner of an alley in the Upper West Side. For an April night, it was quite chilly. Olivia wrapped her coat closer to her body as she continued to ask the woman who was in charge of the scene.

"Did the victim say anything?"

"The only thing the woman said was that someone beat and raped her. She didn't say anything else."

"Okay, thank you."

The woman walked away and Olivia looked at Elliot.

"I guess we'll have to go to hospital and asked what happened."

"Do we even have a name to our victim?"

"Not that I know of" Olivia replied as they walked to their police car "Isn't that odd?"

"Maybe the victim didn't want to reveal her identity. Let's go; maybe the hospital nearby knows our victim."

* * *

They walked through the hospital lobby and walked up to the desk.

"Can I help you?" the woman at the main desk asked.

"Yes, I'm detective Stabler and this is detective Benson" Elliot said "We were wondering if you admitted a woman who was beaten and raped about an hour ago."

"It happened at the Upper West Side of Manhattan."

"Oh, that poor woman" the lady sighed hopelessly "She was an emotional wreck, how can I not forget her? She's currently being examined; do you want me to call the doctor in charge of her case?"

"That would be appreciated, yes."

"If you can just sit over there while I call..."

"That's not a problem. Thank you" Olivia said as both of them left the front of the desk.

They sat down in the waiting area a few feet away from the desk.

"Wait a minute, why does upper west side sound familiar?" Olivia asked Elliot. He shrugged his shoulders before answering.

"We worked a lot of cases there over the past ten years."

"That's not it though. I feel like I know someone who lives there..."

A few seconds later, the woman from the main desk walked over to them.

"The doctor said that you can enter the examining room. It's all the way down the hall and to your right. The victim actually refused to see you, but the doctor insisted."

"Did she say why?" Elliot asked.

"She didn't say."

"Thank you for your help"

Olivia and Elliot got up from their chairs and left the lobby. They walked down the hall to find a doctor standing near the door they were about to enter.

"Are you detectives Benson and Stabler?" the doctor asked as she looked up from her charts.

"Yes, we are. How is she?" Olivia asked.

"She's really shaken up, especially with the fact that you're here" the doctor explained

"Unfortunately, there are no fluids. If we're lucky, the rapist might have left a hair."

"Do we know our victim?" Elliot asked.

"She knows you. You must know her."

Suddenly, the doctor's pager went off.

"I need to go. If you need anything else, just let one of the nurse's know and they'll assist you."

"Okay, thank you."

The doctor rushed out of their sight. Elliot could tell that Olivia was worried.

"How does our victim know us?" Olivia asked

"Can we go in and find out? You can't worry about anything until we know who it is."

"Fine"

Elliot opened the door and when they saw who their victim was, they froze at the doorway.


	2. Familiar Victim

**Author's Note: Wow, I didn't expect so many reviews and story alerts for this story! I was very surprised. Thank you :)**

**Anyway, I hope it wasn't too obvious who the victim is. Maybe it was and maybe it wasn't, but yeah! Now you get to find out who it is. **

**Read and Enjoy :)**

**-blueskies723**

* * *

"Casey..."

They saw their old friend sitting up in her bed, with plenty of bruises on her face. She looked horrible, and Olivia was the first to run to her. Casey started crying when Olivia ran to her side. Elliot, who was just as surprised, shut the door and slowly walked over.

"I didn't want you to know it was me" Casey sobbed "I didn't want the squad to have anything to do with this."

"It's our job, and you know that" Olivia said "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

Casey shook her head no quickly.

"You need to talk to us about it eventually" Elliot said quietly "The person who did this to you need justice."

"Do you really think I don't know that?" Casey snapped. Olivia looked at Elliot, motioning him to leave. Elliot only nodded, walked to the door and opened it, leaving seconds later. Olivia watched him leave and walk to the end of the hall.

"Why did he leave?"

Olivia looked back at Casey and tried to smile.

"I thought it would be best if it was just the both of us here."

"Oh..."

"Casey, we both know that victims have a hard time talking about what happened. But if you don't talk to us soon, we'll never get this guy. And I know that the Casey I know wouldn't have that happen."

"I know that. I just need..."

"Time to process everything that happened, I know" Olivia said as she took a step back "I'll let you have time to yourself, and I'll visit you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay Liv" Casey said quietly.

"All right, I'll see you tomorrow."

Olivia turned and headed towards the door. She opened it and saw Elliot leaning against the wall. She shut the door and Elliot walked to her.

"Did she say anything?" Elliot asked.

"Do you think she said anything? She's scared and doesn't want to deal with what happened right now" Olivia explained "I told her that I'd visit her tomorrow."

"The doctor said that Casey can go home the day after tomorrow."

"Well, she's not going home" Olivia stated.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that I won't let her anywhere near the Upper West Side until we get the bastard who did this to her. I'm not letting a good friend of mine…I mean our friend, get hurt again."

* * *

"The rapist didn't leave any evidence at the crime scene" Munch said to the group "The only thing we have right now is the victim's testimony."

"If she's able to speak" Olivia said.

"What do you mean if she speaks? Doesn't this woman know English?" Kim asked.

"This woman who was attacked was a friend of mine" Olivia said harshly. She didn't like Kim's attitude.

"Then maybe you shouldn't work on the case"

"We ALL know this victim" Elliot said, defending Olivia.

"Who is she?" the captain asked.

"It's Casey" Olivia replied quietly. The group around them became quiet, until Kim opened her mouth.

"Who's Casey?"

"She was the ADA who was here before you" Fin said.

"Oh, the one who got disbarred?"

"Yeah, at least she was a better prosecutor than you'll ever be!" Olivia said angrily, taking a step closer to the lawyer. Elliot walked in front of Olivia.

"Back off; she doesn't know any better" he whispered. Olivia looked at Kim, and then looked at Elliot.

"I'm going to visit her right now" Olivia said quietly, walking passed the entire group.

"Is she going to be okay?" Munch asked.

"She'll be fine. She's visiting Casey" Elliot replied.

"Folks, this is a very important case we need to work on" the captain stated "Casey Novak was part of our group, and always will be. We need to be patient and compassionate with her; don't push her to say anything. And Kim, when we catch this guy, you need to represent the people the best damn way possible. Maybe Casey won't actually hate you..."

When the captain stopped talked, the entire group left Kim where she was standing. After months of getting along and getting cases worked on without major arguments, this was the first time in awhile that everyone walked away from Kim.

* * *

Olivia walked in to find Casey eating breakfast. She knocked on the frame on the door, and Casey quickly turned around. She weakly smiled when she saw Olivia walking in her room and pulling up a chair next to her bed.

"How's the hospital food here?" Olivia asked.

"It's fine."

"Casey, you only took one bite."

"I'm not hungry" Casey said quietly as she dropped her fork on her tray.

"You need to eat, Casey."

"I just said that I wasn't hungry. Can you drop it?"

"I'm only looking out for you-"

"Which is exactly what I don't need right now" Casey snapped.

"Casey, you worked with the team for five years before you got disbarred. Even when you disappeared that night, I've been thinking about where you were and what you were doing" Olivia explained "I didn't want this to be my answer."

"I know you care, Liv. I just...can't deal with this right now."

"But you know that-"

"I'll have to deal with it eventually, I know. You guys at SVU are working your asses off to find this guy, aren't you?"

"You know us well, Case."

Casey noticeably nodded. Then Olivia heard what she didn't expect to hear so quickly.

"I was going to college to get an education degree. I met this guy in one of my classes, and we started dating the first day we met" Casey explained "Mark said that he loved me, but as soon as I said that I couldn't spend a lot of time with him, I knew that he was trouble..."

Casey took a deep breath. Olivia knew that Casey kept to herself a lot, so she knew that this was hard for Casey.

"He wanted me to move in with me, but I refused. He started beating me, and I just...couldn't leave him. Then there was last night; I was walking home from my night class when he found me. He started screaming at me until I couldn't stand it anymore. I slapped him in the face, and I knew that I was going to regret it."

Casey started to cry as she began to have a hard time breathing. Olivia reached for the Kleenex, placed them in front of her friend, and placed her hand on her arm.

"Casey, it's all right. He's nowhere near you now."

"But what if he shows up at my apartment?" Casey sobbed "What if he attacks me at school?"

"We can have a restrictive order on him so he won't come anywhere near you. You can move in with me for your safety."

"Will you really do that for me?" Casey asked. She stopped sobbing and wiped her eyes with a Kleenex.

"Yes, I'll do this for you. You're one of my best friends, and I wouldn't have anything like this happen to you ever again."

"Wow...Thank you, Liv."

"No problem. It's my job to protect you, isn't it?"

"I guess it is" Casey said as she slowly smiled. Olivia noticed that this was the first time she smiled and actually meant it.


	3. Locked

**Author's Note: You're all great. Really. Especially CNovak929 for saying I needed intervention! Ahaha, I was laughing so hard when I read that! But really, I know there's some people who still hate Kim and then there's some who are warming up to her, so I'm trying to have a mixture of dislike and like here. Everyone's different. Personally, I'm warming up to her a little bit, but not really. Casey will always be my favorite. Also, if you read "A Novak Christmas" when I post it on Tuesday(2 days! yay!), you'll see that I still don't like Kim that much(Then again, "A Novak Christmas" is a seasonal one shot of "Sweet Revenge" and I wrote that when I really disliked her. I would definitely reccommend reading "Sweet Revenge" by the way, because it's just amazing! :) )**

**Okay, so here's the third chapter. Unfortunately, I'm probably not going to post more than two chapters today. So everyone will have to wait until tomorrow. Yeah, I know. You want more. But there's only so much I can write. I'm currently writing Chapter 9(and I'm almost done with that chapter too).**

**Okay, so read and enjoy as always! :)**

**-blueskies723**

* * *

"His name is Mark Callerini" Fin said as he put the picture of the whiteboard the next day "He goes to New York University just like Casey."

"He looks like he's younger than Casey" Olivia pointed out.

"He's actually older" Munch said "He's thirty five."

"Well, why aren't we getting this bastard?" Kim asked.

"Because he disappeared when he beat and raped Casey in the alley" Elliot replied "Do you think he's still going to school?"

"It doesn't hurt to ask whoever's in charge, does it?" Munch asked.

"No it doesn't" the captain replied "I want you and Fin to go to the school and ask whoever's in charge to find this man."

After hearing the captain's request, Munch and Fin left the squad room. Captain Cragen looked at Olivia and Elliot.

"Isn't Casey being discharged today?"

"Yes..."

"We were on our way there when Fin told us who we were looking for" Olivia interrupted.

"Do you we know where this woman is staying?" Kim asked.

"'This woman' has a name, and she'll be staying with me" Olivia snapped, giving Kim a nasty look. Kim didn't improve of Casey living at Olivia's place, because it could possibly ruin the trial.

"Captain, I don't think I like the fact that Casey will be with Liv" Kim objected "It can ruin the case."

"It's either Casey staying with Liv or you're job on the line" the captain barked "I'm fine with the situation for now until we get this guy" he continued as he looked to Olivia "But when we catch this guy, Casey will have to stay at her own apartment."

"What if the guy posts bail?" Olivia asked as she started to get annoyed.

"Then she can move back in with you. Otherwise, she'll be fine by herself. I know that you don't want anything happening to her, and the rest of us don't either. Now, catch up to Elliot and get Casey."

Olivia sighed and left Kim and Cragen in the squad room.

"I'm assuming that you don't need me until you catch the guy?"

"You're assumption is correct."

Kim faked smiled and left the squad room. She was not ready to go to trial when the old ADA was a victim. She wanted any case but this one.

* * *

Olivia helped Casey in the wheelchair, while Elliot held the handles to push her in the chair.

"Thank you so much you guys" Casey said as she sat down on the chair "Even when we're not working together, the both of you are so sweet."

"Wait until you meet the new ADA, she's a real treat" Elliot said. Olivia said the grin on his face, and she was about to laugh. Casey saw the both of them acting silly.

"I'm guessing that the both of you are being sarcastic. She's nothing like me or Alex, is she?" Casey asked.

"Oh she's definitely different from you or Alex. That's why we like you more" Olivia replied "Ready to go?"

Casey nodded, and Olivia led the way as Elliot pushed Casey out of the door.

* * *

Munch and Fin were sitting in the waiting room of the dean's office.

"I can't believe this happened to Casey, out of all people" Munch said hopelessly.

"What, you wished this happened to Greyleck instead?" Fin asked.

"Well, she might deserve a punch in the face, but even she doesn't deserve what Casey got."

"You punching Greyleck in the face, now that's a sight to see" Munch said, smiling.

The dean of the school left his office.

"Are you detective Munch and Fin?" he asked

"Yes, we'd like to know the where about of Mark Callerini" Fin said as the both of them got up from their chairs and walked towards the dean.

"Why do you need to find him?"

"Because he raped and physically assaulted a student here and an old colleague of ours, that's why" Munch said "Have you seen him in the past two days?"

"He's been going to classes, if that's the answer you're looking for" the dean replied.

"When's his next class?" Fin asked.

"He's currently in class as we speak. Here, come in my office and I'll tell you the class location."

The dean walked back to his office as Fin and Munch followed him.

* * *

While Fin and Munch was arresting Mark Callerini, Casey walked into Olivia's apartment.

Elliot dropped the both of them at Olivia's office, as the captain suggested to be with Olivia at all times until someone called from SVU to say that they have Mark Callerini. So far, Olivia didn't have a call.

Casey placed her bags on the couch. She couldn't believe that all of this was happening to her. She wished she had her old life back, when Mark didn't beat her every time they were together. This wasn't the only time that happened to her, but this was the first time that he left her there, trying to hold on to her life.

"Casey, are you okay?"

She turned around and saw Olivia standing next to her.

"Yeah, I was just thinking..."

"Don't do a lot of thinking, Case. It's not good for you."

Casey moved her bags and sat down, putting her hands together in her lap.

"Do you know that I've been dating him for almost nine months?"

"No, I don't think you told me that" Olivia said as she moved one of Casey's and sat next to her friend.

"Well, I was. He was really sweet at first. He was funny and charming...I thought that I was actually going to marry this guy. But a month into our relationship, Mark started acting funny. He was telling me what to do and every time I refused to listen to him, he'd either smack me or punch me in the stomach. As time went on, things got worse. I didn't think it would, but it did."

"Casey, don't blame yourself for what happened."

"I know all this, I was an ADA and aided the victims" Casey snapped "But now that I was disbarred and left the job, I have to be the strong one because I'm the one who worked there for five years..."

"I didn't say that."

"Of course you did. Why don't you do me a favor and leave me alone?"

"You know I can't do that" Olivia said as Casey got up from the couch and started walking away.

"Yeah, well now you can."

Olivia thought that Casey would walk out the apartment door, but Casey didn't. She walked to the bathroom, slammed the door shut, and locked the door. Olivia lay back on the couch and closed her eyes. A minute later, her phone started to ring. She reached into her pocket and opened her phone.

"Benson"

"Hey Liv, it's Elliot. We have Mark in one of our interrogation rooms."

"Let me guess, Casey has to leave."

"Greyleck expected it, but the captain that Casey can stay the night"

"Good, because I can't get her out of the bathroom" Olivia stated.

"Uh...why?"

"She locked herself in there because apparently I said she had to be strong since she aided rape victims for years."

"You didn't say anything like that either, right?" Elliot asked.

"Nope"

"Just let it go, she's going through a rough time."

"Right, just when I was sexually assaulted"

"Just keep her in that bathroom unless there's anything that she might-"

"I got rid of everything that she could hurt herself with" Olivia interrupted "I'm already one step ahead of you."

"Looks like you have everything under control. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Did the captain say to bring Casey in to talk or to identify Callerini?"

"He said to wait until the afternoon to bring her" Elliot replied "He said not to come in until one."

"That sounds good. I'll see you then."


	4. Disliked,Once Again

**Author's Note: Once again, thanks for the reviews. I seriously didn't think this fanfic would be popular, but i guess I was wrong!**

**This chapter is really long, which is good for you. Also, everyone's present(Christmas/Hanukkah/etc) is not only Chapter 5 tomorrow, but also "A Novak Christmas" will be posted! Then unfortunately, I'm taking a writing vacation on the 24th and the 25th. I won't be back until the 26th, so you'd have to wait until then for me to post anything. I know, you don't like it. But I'll be with family during those two days. **

**Read and Enjoy :)**

**-blueskies723**

* * *

Everyone knew that as soon as they had Mark Callerini in custody, time would go slow and emotions would run high.

"I except everyone to keep their cool with this guy, or I'm taking you off the case" Cragen said to the detectives and Greyleck in the watching room. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir" they replied.

"Good. Elliot and Fin, go in there and talk to that man."

Elliot and Fin walked to the floor and opened it. They opened the door to see Mark sitting back in his seat. While Fin walked in front of the rapist, Elliot walked behind him and kicked his chair. Mark had no other choice but to sit up in his chair while Elliot stood only a foot away from him.

"Tell me Mark, do you love beating and raping woman?"

"I didn't beat or rape anybody" he snarled.

"Sure you did. Anyone would say that they didn't usually do" Fin spoke up

"Besides, we have a witness."

"Oh, you mean Casey. I know about all of you, with the exception of that new ADA" Mark said "Do you think she would let go of her old life that easily? Besides, she wouldn't testify against me."

"You obviously don't know Casey then" Elliot said as he placed his hand on the table and leaned forward in front of Mark's face "You don't know how strong she is."

"If she was strong, then why didn't she dump my ass?"

"She was probably afraid that you'll kill her. I wouldn't be that surprised, since you look like a possible killer anyway" Fin said.

"I don't need to answer to any of you! I want my damn lawyer!" Mark shouted.

"He said the magic words" Elliot muttered "I thought he was dumber than that. Let's go."

Elliot and Fin walked towards the door and left the room.

"Well he didn't admit to anything" Cragen said.

"The only thing we have on this case is the victim's testimony and ID" Greyleck said.

"The victim has a name Kim" Cragen said.

"The rest of you can call her whoever you want, but I don't care. I barely even know her."

"So you're just going to call her 'Victim'?" Munch asked "You're really smart..."

"Cut the sarcasm act John" Cragen snapped "What did I just say?"

"Well if Kim won't call Casey by her name, then I want nothing to do with this case. I'm sorry..."

Munch left the room and slammed the door. The three remaining men looked at Kim.

"That had to be the first time Munch was an emotional mess" Elliot said "Look at what you did now!"

"Elliot, watch it."

Elliot was angry at Kim. How could be possibly be so unsympathetic with the rest of the squad?

"I want you and Fin to go home for the night" Cragen said "Leave now, and that's an order."

Fin was the first to leave the room, while Elliot followed him. Cragen looked at Kim, and noticed that she had a determined look on her face.

"Please, call her Casey" the captain said gently "You're lucky Olivia wasn't here tonight, because her reaction would have been worst..."

He walked in front of her and left the room. And like several times before when they didn't get along, Kim Greyleck was left in a room alone.

* * *

Casey opened her eyes and looked at the ceiling. She realized that it wasn't the ceiling she was used to, and sat up on the bathroom floor.

She didn't remember why she locked herself in the room, or when for that matter. She slowly got up from the floor and unlocked the door. She opened the door and noticed that she wasn't in her own apartment. She walked down the hallway to see Olivia in the kitchen, placing scrambled eggs on paper plates.

Olivia heard the footsteps and looked up from what she was doing.

"I'm surprised that you left the bathroom."

"I don't even mention why I locked myself in there in the first place" Casey said as she sat down at the table.

"You don't remember?" Olivia asked.

"Lately, all the days have been mixed up. The last thing I remember is leaving the hospital with you and Elliot...and then before that..."

Casey looked at the food placed in front of her. She wasn't hungry; all she could think about was what happened as her days have been mixing together. Olivia sat down, and started eating her breakfast. A few minutes later, Olivia noticed that Casey still hasn't touched her eggs.

"Casey, you need to eat."

"I'm not that hungry."

"Let me guess, you're not that tired either..."

"You don't know what I just went through!" Casey said as she started to cry "I was beaten and raped, and that you're treating me like I'm the suspect!"

Casey pushed her plate across the table and it fell to the floor. She continued to cry loudly and when Olivia got up from her chair, she knew she had to tell her story.

"Actually, I went through a similar situation" Olivia said quietly as she moved a chair closer to where Casey was sitting "Do you remember when I went undercover in that jail in April last year?"

Casey shook her head.

"Well, I was sexually assault by the suspect before Fin ran down to the basement and arrested him. And you know what? I still had flashbacks, but not as often as I used to. I was acting like just you, until someone recommended therapy."

"Did you really go to therapy?" Casey asked quietly

"I did, and I still do once in awhile. Maybe you should come to my group therapy with me" Olivia suggested "I think it might help you, because I know it helped me."

"I guess I can give it a shot."

"I'm glad to hear that. Now come on, you need to get ready and come with me to SVU."

Casey closed her eyes.

"I...have to go back down there again?"

"I know it's difficult not because you're the victim, but also because of your job there" Olivia said "But I know you wouldn't let this guy go free."

Casey opened her eyes.

"You're right, I won't."

* * *

It was hard to walk into the building she used to work in. Casey Novak wasn't been in the 16th Precinct since she was disbarred and packing her things. Olivia led Casey into the squad room, where Fin and Munch were standing near their coffee machine.

"Damn it, I forgot to get another coffee filter!" Munch said loudly

"Nice going, coffee maker"

They heard footsteps and turned around. They were surprised to see Casey walking with Olivia. They didn't say anything as Casey turned around and stopped in steps when she saw them. Olivia turned to see Casey look at them and she slowly walked over.

"We're still making coffee, aren't we?"

Fin laughed as Casey gave him a hug, let go and looked at Munch.

"Yeah, I forgot to get another coffee filter so we could make another batch" Munch explained "I guess you won't be reintroduced to my coffee."

"It's okay. I'm better off without that stuff in my system anyway"

Munch opened his arms and gave Casey a big hug. They let go, and talked amongst themselves.

"So what are you up to these days?" Fin asked.

"Well, I was going to be school to be an elementary school teacher. Since I took the majority of their general education requirements, I'm just taking Education courses."

"Good for you" Munch said "You always bounce back. I always thought that you'd make a great 1st grade teacher anyway."

"I want to teach 2nd or 3rd grade" Casey said "You were close though."

Olivia didn't say anything as she was looking for Elliot to come out of the room they were to go in and signal them. So far, she didn't see him.

"Well they're all little buggers anyway" Munch said.

"And yet we work with them all the time here" Fin said.

"Now we know why he doesn't have any" Casey said as she started to laugh. Munch only rolled his eyes.

At that moment, Olivia saw Elliot wave them to come over. She looked at Casey.

"Elliot wants us, Casey. Are you ready?" Olivia said.

"I'll be more ready than ever. I'll talk to the both of you later"

"Bye Casey"

Casey and Olivia left the two detectives where they were. Fin and Munch watched them walk away.

"You know for someone who was beaten and raped, Casey seems like herself" Munch said.

"Well, she was more determined than ever when she was beaten in her office a few years ago, remember?"

"I'm an old man. Apparently I don't remember anything" Munch joked as they both walked away from the coffee maker.

* * *

Olivia opened the door for Casey. She walked in to see Elliot, Cragen, and a woman she assumed was the new ADA who took her spot.

"Casey, it's nice to see you again" the captain said as she gave her a hug "Unfortunately, I didn't want to meet up like this."

"It's fine" Casey said quietly.

"This is our new ADA, Kim Greyleck" Elliot said "She'll be prosecuting your case."

"Nice to meet you" Casey said.

They shook hands, and Casey looked straight into Kim's eyes. She noticed that this ADA had no sympathetic look in her eyes, which scared Casey to no end.

"The defense lawyer should be here any minute" Kim said, crossing her arms "We can start then."

As soon as Kim explained the lawyer's arrival, the door opened with a familiar face that Casey hadn't seen in almost a year. It was the defense lawyer who was against her in her final case.

"My client beaten and raped Casey Novak. This is a surprise" she said with a sigh "Can't you ever stay out of trouble?

"I guess I can't, but your client will be in more trouble when he gets a guilty verdict"

"That's enough" the captain said "Let's just get this lineup over with!"

Cragen left the room with Elliot, while Olivia stood next to Casey. Kim and the defense lawyer was standing only two feet behind them, talking about how Mark Callerini would either be sitting in a jail cell for five years or if he walks free.

"Are you ready for this?" Olivia asked.

"Yes, I am."

The five people in the lineup were shown one by one. Mark Callerini was number four and when he walked into the room, Casey held her breath in as he stood. She wanted to cry more than anything, but she didn't want to show Greyleck or the defense lawyer that she was weak.

"Number four is the guy" Casey said. Kim looked at the defense lawyer.

"I guess your client is starting his way to a jail cell."

"My client is going to sit in jail for a class E felony and a Class A misdemeanor? I don't think so! I'll see you at arraignment"

The defense lawyer left the room and Kim turned to Casey and Olivia.

"She's right, you know" Kim stated "The most he's going to get is five years, if anything"

"As if I didn't know that" Casey snapped "You're talking to a past lawyer here. I know that he's not going to get much jail time. At least my justice will be served."

She looked back at Olivia.

"I'll be out in the squad room"

"Okay."

Casey gave Kim a nasty look before she opened the door and slammed it behind her.

"Is she always like that?" Kim asked.

"Only when you think she's stupid" Olivia said "Do you think he's going to make bail?"

"He probably will with the charges against him."

"Then she's staying with me for a few days."

"We'll see about that."

"Kim, if Callerini is free there's more of a chance that he'll find Casey and probably kill her."

"And I'm well aware of that, but you're part of the case" Kim said "You're going to stand trial as one of my witnesses, and the defense will believe that you coached her. Maybe she's safer with Munch, since she's not part of the case."

"She's staying with me, and you can't do a damn thing about it" Olivia snarled as she walked pass Greyleck and left the room. Kim created a smile on her face, because she knew that she could do something.


	5. Escape

**Author's Notes: Thank again to everyone reading and reviewing! Actually, CaseyNovak16 said that this would make a great episode! Ahaha, I agree. I kind of wish it would. :(**

**Anyway, this chapter is short, but it does have a cliffhanger(which is going to be a nightmare since I'm not updating this in the next two days). I love cliffhangers. Cliffhangers make my day. :)**

**Don't forget that A Novak Christmas is going to be posted as soon as this one is posted! It's a seasonal one shot to "Sweet Revenge" and I would definitely reccommend that you read that if you haven't already(especially if you don't like Kim. Then you'll definitely like both of these fanfics.)**

**Read and Enjoy. And Happy Holidays! :)**

**-blueskies723**

* * *

The next morning, Olivia woke up by her cell phone that was ringing. But this time when the phone was ringing, her stomach was flipping.

"Hello?"

"Liv, it's El."

"Do we have another case?

"No, it has to do with Casey's case. I guess Greyleck talked to the captain about pervious arrangements" Elliot explained "The captain agrees with her, and wants you to bring Casey back to the precinct"

"They can't possibly do this!"

"If it's going to ruin Kim's case, then they can. Don't argue with me, I'm not the one who decided this."

"I know, I'm sorry" Olivia said as she sat up in bed "I'll wake up Casey right now and we'll be on our way."

* * *

While Olivia was driving them to SVU, Casey looked out the window. She started thinking about how the entire group was wasting their energy and time on a small case that had to deal with her. She thought about how everyone was getting along as a group before she came back into their lives.

"Are you okay, Case? You seem quiet."

"I'm fine" Casey said quietly.

But Olivia knew that Casey wasn't fine.

Olivia parked the car and both women got out of the car. As they started walking towards the building Casey watched the people walking on the sidewalks. She wondered if any of them was worth being at SVU than she was.

They entered the building, walked through the hall and went into the elevator. Luckily, it was only Olivia and Casey in the elevator as they went up to their floor.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Didn't I just say I was fine?" Casey snapped

"Look, I know you're just upset as I am about this. But if you want Kim to win your case, you'll have to follow the rules."

The rest of the elevator ride and the walk down the hall to the squad room was quiet. They entered the squad room, and it was busy as usual. Elliot walked towards them.

"The captain wants to see us Liv."

"Casey, you can sit at my desk if you want. I'll only be a few minutes."

"Okay."

Olivia and Elliot walk across the squad room.

"I don't want this happening-"

"And I don't want you losing this cool with the captain or Kim" Elliot said, cutting Olivia off "The captain warned us that we would be kicked off the case if our emotions ran too high."

"You know why I'm acting protective."

"Yes, because Casey's one of your best friends and you would do anything for her" Elliot said, stopping her at the captain's office door "Do you think she'd want you to lose your spot on the case? Munch is already off it and if you're off this case, it's only Fin and I. That won't get us anywhere!"

"I get it El. Get off my back."

* * *

"You must know why I sent you in here" The captain said.

He was sitting at his desk, while Kim was standing beside it. Elliot and Olivia were standing in front of them.

"Because of the arrangements that we previously had for Casey" Olivia said

"You understand why the both of us are doing this?"

"Yes" they both said, even though Olivia wanted to say more than that.

"I believe that Casey should either be at her own apartment with 24 hour protection, or be with Munch" Kim said "Especially since he's not working the case."

"Casey won't like either one" Olivia said

"Liv..."

"She wouldn't want to be stuck in her apartment 24 hours a day, seven days a week! And as much as the both of them get along, I don't think Casey would like the second arrangement that you offered."

"Well, unless you want to be kicked off the case..."Kim said

"Fine!"

"Liv!" Elliot said

"I'd do anything for Casey, even if it means not working her case. I don't care about the case anymore" Olivia said angrily "I care about Casey and her well-being!"

"If that's what you want, you can have it" the captain said.

"If Olivia leaves this case, she can't testify about the victim" Kim said.

"Then that's your lost now isn't it?"

"Liv, are you willing to lose this case just because of this?"

"You still have Elliot and Casey to testify. That's enough for a case" Olivia said as she turned and walked to the door "I'm leaving and bringing Casey back home with me."

But as she opened the door, Olivia found Casey missing.


	6. Break Free and Go Home

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry that I wasn't back here on the 26th! I had a lousy two days after the holidays, so I wasn't in the mood to write. But here I am! **

**So now I left you all with a major cliffhanger, here is the 6th chapter. This chapter actually reminds me of the episode "Persona" because...well, you'll find out. I watched it last night and I thought "Hey, this reminds me of my fanfic!" ahahaha, I love when that happens.**

**Anyway, read and enjoy! :)**

**-blueskies723**

* * *

Casey was walking through the streets of Manhattan. She didn't know where she wanted to go or why. She was emotionally lost, because she thought that no one was ever there for her.

She decided to stop at a small cafe that she glanced at as she walked by, and then walked back to. She waited in line for a few minutes, ordering a regular coffee with cream and sugar. As soon as Casey received her drink, she left the building.

She stood outside of the cafe, and decided that after the ordeal with her friends at SVU, she couldn't live without that special person in her life. She reached into her light coat that she was wearing and looked at her cell phone in her hands. She wasn't sure that what she was doing was the right thing, but it was better than going through this. She opened her phone and dialed a familiar number that she hasn't called in awhile.

"Hello? Yes, this is Casey Novak. I need you to do something for me..."

* * *

Olivia was sitting next to Elliot in court. They watched Mark Callerini walk into the court room but when they heard the main door opens, they didn't expect Jack McCoy to see walking pass them.

"What is he doing here?" Olivia asked. Elliot could only shrug his shoulders, because he didn't know either. They watched the judge, who already started arraignment, look at Jack McCoy.

"Jack, this is a surprise" the judge said.

"Your honor, do I have permission to approach the bench?"

"You may. Counselor Approach, everyone."

The defense lawyer, Kim, and Jack stood in front of the judge.

"What's the prosecutor's excuse to interrupt arraignment?" the defense lawyer said in a rude tone.

"My motion is actually in your favor, counselor" Jack said, looking at the defense lawyer and then at the judge "The victim of this crime wants to drop the charges against Mark Callerini."

"I thought the victim didn't have a choice" Kim said. She was just as shocked as the defense lawyer was, but in a different way.

"The victim called me personally to cut the charges."

"But-"

"Kim, we didn't have a strong case. Drop it" Jack said as he turned to Kim "It's Casey call if she wanted the defendant to go to court or not. It was never your call."

He paused. He looked at Kim, and noticed that her eyes were full of anger. McCoy looked back at the judge.

"I'd like the motion to dismiss."

"Motion is granted" the judge said, looking passed the judges to look at Mark "You're free to go, . Court is dismissed!"

The gravel pounded, and most of the courtroom left. However, Olivia and Elliot walked over to Jack McCoy.

"We don't want to interrupt your busy schedule sir, but can we ask you a few questions?" Elliot asked.

"Casey told me to keep everything she said was confidential. I'm sorry detectives, but she trusted me to keep everything she said a secret. Good day to the both of you."

Jack walked passed them and left the courtroom. Kim walked up to the two detectives. Both Elliot and Olivia noticed that Kim was furious.

"So much for a trial" Olivia said.

"I want one of you to arrest Novak for a fake report" Kim snapped.

"Are you insane? She didn't fake anything!" Elliot said "You're planning to put an innocent victim of rape and assault in jail?"

"She dropped the charges. I'm only assuming that she lied to me."

"She didn't lie to us, Kim. We saw her at that hospital, and she was in pain" Olivia said "I think the only reason why she did what she did was because of you..."

"Okay! Let's stop pointing fingers" Elliot said as she interrupted Olivia "It's everyone's fault. We let Casey out of sight and she did something stupid."

"I think we should still look for her" Olivia suggested "Who knows what Callerini will do to her."

Olivia turned and ran out of the courtroom. Elliot walked out and followed her, because he knew that she was right.

No one wanted Casey to be hurt again.

* * *

The four of the detectives frantically looked for Casey, regardless of all the other cases they had. But the four detectives out yelled the captain, and he decided that he wasn't going to win. Casey was one of the best prosecutors they had, and Cragen knew that the four detectives weren't going to give up on her.

Olivia decided to go to Casey's apartment in the Upper West side of Manhattan. She ran into the apartment complex and up the stairs, hoping that Casey wasn't in any immediate danger.

She knocked on the wooden door of Casey's apartment. Olivia heard her say "I'm coming" and the footsteps towards the door. There Casey stood in front of Olivia, in perfect health.

"Oh, it's you."

"Casey, you're all right."

"I'm better than I was when everyone at the Precinct was arguing over me" Casey snapped "I decided that I wasn't worth your time, and dropped the charges."

"Casey, we were fighting over you because we wanted you to be safe!"Olivia exclaimed.

"And now I am. I'm safe with Mark..."

Olivia's heart stopped. Casey could tell that she shocked the detective, because Olivia's jaw almost dropped to the floor.

"Casey, why-"

"Because I love him, more than anyone of you at SVU will love me" Casey said coldly "He's here right now, cooking supper. I'd invite you in if you didn't hate him-"

"He raped and beat you to the point where you had to be hospitalized!" Olivia yelled.

"You can't prove that in a court of law, now can you? The charges are dropped, and you can't do a damn thing about it. Goodbye Detective."

Casey slammed the door in Olivia's face, something that she didn't expect from Casey. Olivia was blaming herself as she left the building, only wishing that she was more protective of her friend.


	7. Reappearing Case

**Authorr's Note: Technically, I'm done writing the book. Counting this chapter, you have four more chapters until this is done. But don't worry, I'll be posting every day! Meaning that everything will be posted on Thursday or Friday.**

**Okay,here we go. A lot of you aren't going to like what happens to Casey and how i put her back in the story. I definitely noted everyone's reaction with Casey going back to Mark last chapter. Yeah, you're not going to like this chapter. But don't worry, everything gets better for Casey after this chapter. :)**

**Read and Enjoy :)**

**-blueskies723**

* * *

A few weeks later, school for Casey was done for the summer. She was lying down on the couch, reading a book that someone at the library recommended. Although she hasn't had any contact with her friends at SVU, she didn't care. Casey had Mark and that's all that mattered, even if it meant having black eyes and physical pain.

A few minutes after she started reading the book, Mark entered her apartment. He smiled at her and when she looked up, Casey smiled back.

"How was work?" Casey asked as she continued reading.

"It was fine. I'm so sick of getting yelled at by my boss!" Mark shouted as he walked passed her into the kitchen "He gives me so much shit!"

"Maybe you should stand up for yourself."

Mark did a double take and walked back out of the kitchen. His expression already changed.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm not saying that in a bad way. I'm just saying that maybe you should ask your boss why-"

"You're twisting words like you always do!" Mark said, raising the volume of his voice. Casey stood up from the couch and put the library book down.

"I'm not twisting any of my words around! I didn't say 'Hey Mark, why don't you grow some balls and take down your boss'!"

She wished she didn't joke like that.

Mark ran over to Casey and gripped his hands around her neck. She was struggling to breathe and Mark made it harder when he dragged her into her own bedroom.

* * *

"Then the girl could have done it" Olivia said, looking at the picture of the girl who supposedly killed her own mother. The detectives, the captain, and Kim were around the board of information until another person from the precinct approached them.

"We have a new case. A thirty two year old woman was seriously injured and raped."

"When did this happen?" the captain asked.

"Someone just found her and the victim is being rushed to the hospital as we speak."

"Does the victim have a name?" Munch asked.

"Casey Novak."

As soon as Olivia heard that name, she quickly ran out the door. Captain Cragen looked at Elliot.

"You better go with her" he suggested "I don't want her driving."

"Yes Sir."

Elliot left the group and ran after Olivia, trying to keep his own emotions out of the way.

* * *

"This guy did a number on her" the doctor said "The guy not only broke her left arm, but he also shot her in the right leg. Luckily, the bullet didn't hit anything major and we were able to get the bullet out by removing it during surgery."

"How is she emotionally?" Elliot asked.

"She's hysterical. She didn't want us to touch her or her broken arm. We had to sedate her."

"Did you get anything on the rape kit?" Olivia asked.

"There were no fluids, but we did find a few hairs" the doctor replied "We'll give you that as soon as we're done with it."

"Okay, thank you" Elliot said.

The doctor walked away and both detectives looked at each other.

"I wonder who have done this" Olivia said.

"Liv, it's not your fault."

"Then why do I feel so guilty?"

She quickly blinked and small tears ran down her cheeks. Elliot placed his hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort his partner the best he would.

"Why don't you go in there with Casey, okay? I'll meet up with you later."

"Okay."

Olivia walked two steps and opened the door to Casey's room. She saw that her friend was sleeping, so she grabbed the chair and moved it next to the bed. She looked at Casey, and it was a familiar picture like the last time; black eyes and minor cuts on her face.

The only difference was that Casey was injured worse than the last time, and Olivia could only blame herself.

* * *

A few hours later, the remaining detectives and the ADA was standing in Captain Cragen's office about Casey's case.

"The rape kit came back, and the hair belongs to Mark Callerini" Fin said.

"At least we have more of a case against this guy" Kim explained "Rape in the third degree and assault in the second degree."

"That's only 11 years if we're lucky" Munch said.

"Besides, we don't even know if Casey wants to charge against him" Elliot said.

"Well she can't decide that."

"Why is that, counselor?"

"I called McCoy and told him what happened. He's not letting Casey drop the charges against this guy from now on."

"Smart call" Elliot said.

"We do have the right to arrest him, correct?" the captain asked.

"Go right ahead" Kim said "You have the evidence."

"Munch and Fin, I want you to find this guy and arrest him" Cragen ordered. Munch and Fin left quickly, not wasting any time "Elliot, I want to tell Olivia the bad news."

"What bad news?"

"She can't work on this case."


	8. Stubborn

**Author's Note: CNovak929 definitely made a point. I don't think Greyleck and McCoy can technically stop her from dropping charges(why do I imagine a coming towards me and telling me why? Ahahaha!), but then again, it's for her own safety. Because of that action, it does confirm that Casey will be safe for the rest of the story. Fictional? Yes, but only because I don't want to write about anything else happening to Casey. :(**

**And don't worry, everything gets better from here. It might not show in this chapter(Because Casey is being very stubborn, but that changes too), but it definitely shows in the next chapter. I can't really say if Callerini gets a guilty verdict though, only because I don't want to ruin the story!**

**Okay,read and enjoy :)**

**-blueskies723**

* * *

Casey slowly opened her eyes only minutes later after everyone at SVU met. When she opened her eyes and looked in front of her, no one was there. She was surprised to see Olivia sitting next to her, reading a magazine when Casey turned her up. Olivia looked up and when she saw Casey looking at her, she put the magazine down on her lap.

"Hey"

"Am I an idiot or what?"

Olivia was taken aback by Casey's first words. She didn't expect her friend to be hard on herself.

"I shouldn't have ran out of SVU and did what I did a month ago. I'd be in trial instead of lying on a hospital bed."

"You weren't thinking straight, that's all" Olivia said "It's not your fault."

"And you're saying that it's yours? Please!" Casey said "You're not the one who got back with an abusive man, I did."

"I should have been paying more attention to you than on the case itself. I'm sorry" Olivia said, leaning closer to Casey "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

"No I don't, because I deserved it."

"Casey-"

"Don't tell me any different. I deserved everything that Mark gave me, that's why I'm not pressing charges."

Both women heard someone knocking on the door. The both of them turned to see Elliot standing in the doorway.

"Liv, I need to talk to you."

"Okay. I'll be right back, Case."

Olivia got up from her chair and joined Elliot in the doorway, the door shutting behind her.

"I need to tell you two things"

"Okay, tell me" Olivia said.

"The captain suggested that you don't work on Casey's case this time."

"Okay."

"You're not getting angry about that?" Elliot asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I shouldn't have been involved with the case. It complicated everything. I rather be there for Casey."

"The second thing is about what Casey just said."

"About dropping the charges?" Olivia asked.

"Yes" Elliot said, nodding his head "She can't drop the charges."

"Why is that?"

"Both Greyleck and McCoy are refusing her to do such a thing. Neither one of them want her to get hurt by this guy anymore."

"I agree with them" Olivia said.

"How is she doing?"

"She's in a self-blaming mood, surprisingly. She's also being stubborn about it."

"Well, I talked to the doctor and she said that she can be released the day after tomorrow" Elliot explained "The captain asked if you can bring her to SVU as soon as she's released. Kim needs a statement."

"Isn't the guy arrested?"

"Oh, he's arrested; we made sure of that. Kim wants to make this case a stronger case with evidence and the victim's testimony."

"I'm not sure if Casey will testify" Olivia said.

"We'll figure that out when we get there. Just bring her to the precinct, okay?"

"That is not a problem."

----------------------------

"Do you really think you were going to get away with your crime like last time?" Fin asked angrily as he walked behind Mark Callerini, who was sitting in the chair.

"I didn't do anything!"

"Sure you did! You raped and beaten the same person! The only difference is that you decided to break the victim's arm and shoot her in the leg!" Munch explained.

"Yeah, and this time you're going to jail for a longer amount of time."

"I will no such thing!" Callerini yelled at the detectives "I'll get probation, if anything!"

"If you think our ADA is going to let you off probation, think again!"Munch said "She's going to do her damn best to get you the most vacation years in jail!"

"She's especially going to go hard on you after what you did."

"You're only saying that because you're friends with Casey!" Mark said angrily.

"Even if the victim wasn't Casey, we'd still get your ass in jail!"

"I'm not talking to you two idiots anymore until I'm with my lawyer!"

Fin looked at Munch and they started walking towards the open. When they opened it, they saw Cragen and Kim.

"Well he didn't admit to anything."

"That gives me another reason to put his ass in jail" Kim said "Evidence of a bullet from the gun, DNA, and him not admitting anything means he's probably getting at least 10 years. Now I just mean Casey's testimony."

"Kim, you need to realize that Casey has gone through a lot" Cragen said "You can't push her too hard when you and Elliot talk to her in two days."

"The two of you want this bastard in jail, right?" Kim asked, looking at Munch and Fin.

"We want that more than anyone else in the world."

"Then Captain, I don't mean to be rude but I think if I have to be hard on the victim, I will."

Kim turned, walked towards the door, and left the room. The captain sighed and looked at Munch and Fin.

"She's only doing her job, captain" Fin commented.

"Yes, but she need more sympathy with the victims. She doesn't understand how hard it is for them-"

"Don't worry captain. Casey will tell her to back off if Kim pushes too hard" Munch said "She knew how to be sympathetic with the victims. Maybe Casey will teach her a thing or two when Kim talks to her."

-----------------------------

Two days went by quickly and before Casey's eyes could blink, the doctors said that Olivia was on her way to get her. Then Casey realized that she was being released, and then she also realized that she might have to go to the precinct.

"Great" she thought "I'll make myself look even more like an idiot if I go there."

She fell asleep and minutes later, she heard footsteps and squeaky wheels.

"Are you ready to go, Case?"

She slowly opened her eyes to see Olivia in the doorway with a wheelchair.

"Where are we going?" Casey grumbled as she slowly sat up.

"Well, we have to go to the precinct. You need to tell Kim and Elliot your side of what happened."

If Casey didn't have a broken arm and a leg that was in pain, she would have ran out the door. She wanted to do anything but go to the precinct.

"I told you that I'm not pressing charges against him-"

"You don't have a choice" Olivia said as she walked over to Casey and helped her out of bed. Casey stood, but had to limp because of the pain in her leg. She put her unbroken arm around Olivia as the both of them walked to the chair. Olivia helped Casey into the chair. Then, Casey decided to respond.

"Excuse me? What do you mean I don't have a choice?"

"Kim and Jack don't want you dropping the charges against him."

"I can't believe this is happening-"

"It's for your own good, Casey. No one wants you to get hurt again. And if you have such a big issue about it, then you can argue with Greyleck before you tell her your own side of the story" Olivia said, with a tone of roughness in her voice. She didn't want to be tough on Casey but when it came to convincing Casey that she's doing the right thing, she had to. She gripped the handles of the wheelchair, pushed Casey and the both of them left the hospital room.

Olivia hoped that Casey never had to be there again.


	9. Admitting the Truth

**Author's Notes: I'm just warning every right now, that if you loved the Kim bashing, you're not going to find anymore of it in this fanfic. Well, there's a small one in this chapter, but there's nothing else. But I would stick around, because there are a few more twists and interesting events in this story.**

**Oh, and hopefully you're all watching the svu marathon on USA today! My phone went off because someone texted me, and I was like "SVU marathon today! Yay!" So I got out of bed and ran two flights of stairs. When the show came back on, I got to see Casey Novak! Love life. :)**

**All read, watch the marathon and enjoy! :)**

**-blueskies723**

* * *

Before getting out of Olivia's car, Olivia handed Casey crutches.

"I think you'll need these."

"Thank you."

Casey stood up and held onto the open door of the car until she had her crutches. Then the both of them walked into the building. From the car to the squad room, Casey didn't say a word and that made Olivia worried.

When they walked into the squad room, Elliot was already in sight waiting for Casey.

"Feeling any better?" Elliot asked as Casey stood a few feet in front of him.

"If I'm walking with crutches, do you think that I feel any better?" Casey snapped.

"Well, I'm sorry. If you can just go in that first door all the way on your left. I'll be there in a minute."

Both Olivia and Elliot watched Casey make her way to where Elliot directed her to go. They watched her struggle walking with the crutches.

"You're making a mistake interviewing her like this."

Elliot turned back to his partner, who had a worried look on her face.

"If we don't get her statement, it's going to take longer to get a trial date."

"Do you think I care about that? I care about Casey's well-being more than anything."

"Why don't you watch this interview with the Captain" Elliot suggested, putting his arm around her neck and leading the way "If you think anyone is getting out of hand, tell the captain and he'll stop the interview."

* * *

"Now Casey, can you tell us what happened?"

"The damn guy raped me, broke my arm, and shot my leg. What do you think he did?"

As Olivia watched Elliot and Kim trying to convince Casey to talk, she knew that as soon as Casey's stubbornness showed that no one was going to get her to talk.

"You need to be more specific than that" Elliot said. He was leaning against the wall near the glass window, while Kim was sitting next to her.

"Maybe I don't want to."

"I know that the ADA I knew before she was disbarred wouldn't let her stubbornness get to her" Elliot said, raising his voice "Casey, you need to tell us what happened in detail!"

"I want to drop the charges."

"Unfortunately, Jack and I won't let that happen" Kim said "Who knows what will happen if you drop the charges. At this rate, you might end up dead."

"Who told you to give a shit against me?" Casey said rudely "The last time I checked you wanted me dead!"

"No one said that Casey" Elliot said, pacing towards her "All we want is for you to be safe, and you won't be if you drop the charges. Do you think any of us want you dead?

"I'm still not talking to you."

"Casey" Elliot said gently as he knelt down beside her "The last time this happened, you wanted him to go in jail. You wanted justice. You wanted justice with everyone that was ever victimized in the five years you worked here. You deserve justice too. Don't think any differently about that, because you know I'm right."

Casey's mood suddenly shifted. Her anger disappeared, something that made everyone shocked. No one knew that her stubbornness would disappear so quickly.

"You're right" Casey said quietly as her eyes started to water "I...He came home, and he was talking about how his boss was constantly yelling at him. I told him to stand up for himself, and he took it the wrong way. He grabbed my neck so I had a hard time breathing and dragged me into my bedroom..."

"That's when he raped you."

Casey nodded, showing that she agreed to Elliot's statement.

"He broke my arm in the process of that" Casey said as she started to cry "He left me there on my bed, in pain. Then he took out the gun he had and shot me in the leg. He told me that if I ever told anyone, he'd kill me."

Kim reached over for Kleenex and placed the box in front of Casey. She reached for one and blew her nose.

"You did a good job telling us what happened" Kim said, sympathetically "I'm going to do the best I can to get this guy in jail, even though you were a better prosecutor than me."

Casey looked at her and weakly smiled.

"Don't put yourself down like that. As far as I can tell, you're well liked here. Don't compare yourself to me, and just put that bastard in jail."

Kim Greyleck realized that she learned a lot from Casey that day.

* * *

Later that night, Casey couldn't sleep. She looked at the clock from Olivia's couch and saw that it was close to two in the morning. She heard Olivia snoring from the other room; she's been asleep since eleven. All Casey has been doing is staring at the ceiling for the past three hours, wondering what was going to happen to her now.

She decided to sit up and throw the blanket she had beside her. She grabbed her crutches, got up and went in the kitchen.

Casey didn't expect to find any kind of liquor in Olivia's house, but she was surprised to find a cabinet full of all sorts of alcohol. Vodka, rum; you name it, it was there. Casey pulled out the bottle of vodka and shut the cabinet. She placed the bottle down on the counter so she could find a glass. Sure enough when she opened the cabinet with glasses, Casey found shot glasses. She grabbed one, shut the cabinet and placed the shot glass next to the bottle of Vodka. Casey breathed deeply as she looked at what was on the counter.

The next thing she knew, she was drinking shot after shot of vodka.

* * *

About two hours later, Olivia heard a loud crash. Her eyes popped opened and she quickly sat up.

"Casey..."

She left her bed and ran out of the room. When she made it to the living room, she saw Casey attempting to get up from the kitchen table. Olivia ran to her rescue and helped her up.

"Casey, what are you doing?"

"I...I don't know" Casey slurred.

"Are you drunk?"

"I don't know"

Casey was having a hard time stand, as she losing balance not because she was drunk, but because her leg was still in pain.

"What did you drink?"

"I…I didn't drink anything."

"It's sure a whole lot of something if you walked into something!" Olivia said with worry in her voice "Come on, you're going to bed."

"No!"

Olivia grabbed her arm, put it around her neck and had to drag her to the couch. When Casey was standing in front of the couch, Olivia carefully helped her sit on the couch.

"I'm not going anywhere until you go to sleep."

The only thing Casey did was giggle, as if the whole situation she was in was funny. But minutes later, she lied down on the couch and closed her eyes. Olivia sighed and got up from the chair she was sitting on. She went into the kitchen to find shattered glass and the vodka bottle on the counter.

"I guess I'm going to have to child proof that cabinet" Olivia said to herself as she picked up the glass remains from the shot glass that was on the floor.


	10. Destruction

**Author's Note: **I am SO SORRY that I have not updated this in awhile! I haven't been in the best of moods lately. But I am feeling a bit better, so I'm updating! Yay!

So a few things I'd like to say

1) CNovak929, your comment about the last chapter made me laugh so badly! Ahaha, it was so good :)

2) **Stephaine March is coming back on SVU on february 17th!?what!? **Can we please discuss how many this is? Please? I kinda wish that Diane Neal would show up, but hey, I like Stephaine March too. She's a great actress and she has the same birthday as me. Can't complain! Besides, my philosophy is _Novak and Cabot,whether separate or together is (greater than) Greyleck. _I'm sure that a lot of you can agree! :)

3) There's only one more chapter after this one! Hopefully you like it, but I must add a warning. **Self-Harm is presented in the first part of this chapter, and may be triggering. Please read with caution. **Also, Kim is like...I can't really explain it. But I definitely gave her some personality and some background story, something Wolf and the producers/writers have not done yet! Ooooh, maybe we'll get some background on Greyleck the week before Cabot comes back!? Like, why is that happening? Is Greyleck going back to DC to deal with personal issues? Ooooh, now I'm excited! Ahaha, but anyway, hopefully you like this chapter. :)

Read and enjoy,

-blueskies723

* * *

A few weeks later, Casey was still an emotional wreck. She was becoming worse as she wasn't ready to be a witness in her ex-boyfriend's case in two days. In the past four weeks, she ended up being self-destructive. Olivia doesn't understand how Casey could unlock the liquor cabinet with the lock, but she does. Almost every day, Olivia had to get the large bottle of alcohol out of a drunken Casey's hand and lock it back up in the cabinet.

But when Olivia was sleeping on a mid-July day, instead of hearing a drunken Casey, she heard a sobbing Casey.

She thought that Casey was just crying, but Olivia decided to check on her friend. She sat up, got up from the bed and slowly left her bedroom. She was still half-asleep, but she knew what was going on. She knew that it was around 2 in the morning, and that Casey didn't have a bottle of rum on the coffee table in front of her.

But Olivia wished she did, because it was better than the recent alternative.

When Olivia walked to the front of the couch, she noticed that Casey had a pair of scissors in her hands. Then she noticed the blood.

"Casey!"

Casey was still crying as Olivia ran over to her. She reached out and tried to grab the scissors out of her hands.

"Give me the scissors!"

"Leave me alone!"

Olivia gave Casey a tiny pinch on the hand that held the scissors. Casey yelp, loosening the grip of them. Olivia quickly took the scissors out of Casey's hands and chucked them across the room.

"Why-"

"Why did I do that?" Olivia asked "The same reason why I have to take away the alcoholic beverages from you when you're drunk."

Olivia sat down next to Casey on the couch, touched Casey's arm. Casey flinched, moving her right arm to her left shoulder.

"Casey, I only want to see how much damage you caused on your arm."

"I didn't cause any damage" Casey lied, but when Olivia gently grabbed her arms, she didn't fight. Olivia brought Casey's arm in sight, seeing that the cuts she created her long and shallow. That was a small relief for Olivia; at least she didn't have to bring Casey to the hospital.

"Is it okay if I clean these up?" Olivia asked. Casey nodded.

"Stay here, I'll be right back."

She got up and ran to the bathroom, grabbing hydrogen peroxide, antibiotic cream, and band aids. Olivia was sitting next to Casey on the couch only a minute later. When Olivia dabbed Casey's arms, she noticed that her friend didn't care about the sting of the hydrogen peroxide. She found that odd because the last time Olivia nursed a wound, Casey would have been a baby about the whole situation. She would have cried, flinched, and she even smacked the whole container of hydrogen peroxide on the floor. Of course, this was before disbarment and Mark Callerini.

"You must think I'm crazy" Casey said quietly "You must be thinking 'How could she possibly do this to herself?'"

"You're not crazy, Case. All I'm thinking about is why you did this" Olivia asked "I'm also wondering why my friend isn't spilling hydrogen peroxide all over the floor like last time."

Casey weakly smiled, remembering that moment. She ran too fast in her heels when she and Olivia were trying to catch up to the hot dog cart for lunch. She fell on her knee and the sidewalk gave her a nasty scrape on her left knee.

But then she came back to the present.

"I'm not sure how to explain it" Casey whispered "Maybe I was missing Mark beating the shit out of me, so now I'm harming myself. I loved him, you know. How can anyone believe that someone you love can be such a horrible person?"

Olivia finished rubbing the antibiotic cream on Casey's cuts. She heard what Casey said, she just didn't know how to reply as she stuck the band aids on Casey's cut up arm.

* * *

Usually, Olivia would have left Casey home by herself but now everything was different. She would risk having a drunk Casey fumbling around her apartment (not that it happened yet), but she couldn't risk having her hurt herself again. What if she cut too deep? What if she cut near her wrists? Olivia shivered at those thoughts, as she drove herself and Casey to the precinct.

Minutes later, they walked into the squad room. Munch was sitting at his desk, and noticed that Casey was with Olivia.

"Hey Casey" Munch said, looking up from the newspaper he was reading. He didn't read the newspaper for the "political crap" he commonly referenced to, but for the advice column and the comics. At least they were no conspiracies.

"Hi" Casey said. Olivia turned to her and pointed to her chair at her desk.

"Sit there and don't move"

"Fine"

"Can you keep an eye on her, Munch?" Olivia asked, turning her back to Casey.

"Sure, I can do the duty of Casey sitting"

Casey laughed at his corny joke, and the both of them talked as Olivia walked towards Cragen's office.

She swung open the door and saw Elliot, Kim, and Cragen there. Elliot and Kim were standing next to each other, while Cragen was sitting at his desk.

"We need to talk" Olivia said, shutting the door.

"Can it wait?" the captain asked "I'm a little busy with these two trying to figure out our most recent case."

"Unless you want Casey trying to slit her wrists, I guess it could wait" Olivia said sarcastically. Elliot's eyes almost popped out his sockets.

"What do you mean slitting her wrists?"

"I think she needs seriously help" Olivia explained "See, I don't mind if Casey is a fumbling drunk in my apartment."

"She's drinking every day?" Kim asked

"The last time I checked, Casey's well being was none of your concern" Olivia snapped, walking pass Elliot to Kim.

"Don't get defensive, I was only asking a question."

"Well she's not your friend, so don't ask it."

"But she is one of my witnesses" Kim snapped as she got closer in Olivia's face "Don't you dare try to question me about my job, Benson. I think you have been doing that more than anyone here at this precinct because you can't get over the fact that I took your best friend's job! Let me tell you about that, I'm sick of it!"

She got out of Olivia's face and stormed passed her and Elliot.

"I'll be in my office if anyone actually gives a shit about anything other than their friends around here" Kim snarled as she opened the door. She slammed the captain's door shut; even one of the captain's pictures fell to the floor. The three of them looked at each other until the captain said something.

"Kim's right, you know" he said, ending the silence "Now, what about Casey?"

"Last night I saw her cutting herself" Olivia said, ignoring the fact that she made Greyleck angry "She's been self-destructive, and I think she needs therapy..."

"Except you don't want her to see the same therapist as you" Elliot said.

"Captain, is there any chance you can call Huang and see if he can recommend a therapist in the area?"

"Yeah, I can do that and have him watch Casey for the next few days while you do your job" Cragen said "I don't think Munch can watch Casey as long as you think he can."

"Thank you" Olivia said.

Both detectives walked out of the captain's office.

"I think you need to apologize to Greyleck" Elliot suggested, knowing that he was going to start an argument between them.

"Why do I need to apologize?" Olivia asked with her angry tone appearing "She needs to apologize for being in my face about Casey!"

"This is what she was talking about. You're so protective of Casey now, and you were protective of her when Greyleck rudely talked about Casey. So what? Yes, she was rude and hard to get along with at the beginning, but now she's not bad" Elliot said as they continued walking with Olivia "You never gave her a chance because all you were thinking about was how Casey was a better prosecutor, a better friend. Hell, if you gave Greyleck a chance, she could be just a good a friend and prosecutor to you just like Casey was."

Olivia didn't say anything. Instead, she let Elliot's words sink into her head.

"You think about that while I look through these files with Fin, okay?" Elliot said as he started to walk away. She watched him walk towards Fin, knowing that Elliot was right. When she walked passed her desk, Casey called out to her.

Olivia ignored her and walked out of the squad room.

* * *

Kim heard a knock on the door. She thought that it would McCoy, Elliot, or the captain. She even thought that Casey was a possible person walking through that door when Kim said "Come on in", but she was surprised to see Olivia walking in and shutting her office door.

"Kim, I'm sorry-"

"No, it was my fault" Kim said, looking back down at her paperwork "I was out of line."

"You were out of line for one minute. I was out of line for the past nine months" Olivia confessed.

Kim shut the folder of paperwork and watched Olivia sit in the chair next to her desk.

"I never gave you a chance" Olivia explained "I was still wrapped up in my own little world where Casey was still the ADA, and that no one else could possibly take over her spot. I shouldn't have gotten my friendship with Casey get in the way of our relationship as co-workers."

Kim nodded slowly, not knowing what to say. She was still shocked about the fact that Olivia was apologizing to her. In the nine months that Kim worked here, she never got the chance to hear Olivia's soft side.

"I should have known that it would be hard for you" Kim said "Casey was and still is a very good friend of yours. It's hard for you like it was hard for me to leave Washington DC"

Now Olivia was shocked. Kim was opening up to someone in the squad, and it was hers.

"Losing someone is very hard. I know because I didn't expect my ex-husband to divorce me. But he did, and I only wanted to get away from him as soon as possible because he would remind me of all the memories we shared together. Maybe that's what Casey did. She lost contact with you because she didn't want to be reminded that she worked here and that someone else took her job. Now I know why the both of you have been judgmental towards me."

"But I didn't mean to be-"

"You say that now, but would you have said that nine months ago when I started?" Kim asked "I heard that Casey wasn't the first ADA here at SVU. Didn't you give her a hard time at the beginning as well?"

"Elliot and I both did..."

"And somehow, you found it in you to give Casey a chance. Just like you expect me to give you a chance now that you realized that you made a mistake."

"You're not giving me that chance, are you?" Olivia asked quietly.

Kim only smiled.

"Now, I may be a bitch but I'm not as bitchy as I was nine months ago. I say that we go out to lunch somewhere? How about you?"

"I'm starving" Olivia said as both of them got up from their chairs and left Kim's office.


	11. Casey's Goodbye, Kim's Hello

**Author's Note: **Well folks, this is the last chapter! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! I'm really sorry that it hasn't been posted sooner! I've been a really busy college student lately! :(

Also, I found out that the defense lawyer that worked against Casey in her last case is **Donna Emmett.** Ahaha, I couldn't just call her the defense lawyer all the time, so I decided to look her name up. Also, I'm not sure if the scene with the trial is realistic, as I am not a lawyer and I do not know what is proper questioning in the courtroom. But hopefully, it is okay. I don't think that part is awful, just okay.

Also, part of this chapter is very sad. At least Casey gets a better exit than in "Cold". Really, what was that? Chester Lake gets all the glory and Casey doesn't? That's crap. If it was me, either 1) she wouldn't get disbarred(because then Novak could have took over for Greyleck instead of Cabot...how fun would that be?) or 2) maybe she would have been too involved in a case to the point where someone is stalking her and shoots her? Oh wait, that was Cabot. ahaha, but I was hoping for a better ending. Seriously, I should be one of the writers, because I know what people want to see. Ahaha,too bad I'm majoring in Psychology!

Okay, well enough of me rambling and such! Last chapter, here we go! :)

-blueskies723

* * *

This was the last day of trial. Kim would reveal Casey Novak as a witness, the lawyers would have their concluding statements, and then the jury would decide whether Mark Callerini was guilty or innocent with committing rape in the third degree and assault in the second degree. She thought the last day of trial would be easy until she saw Olivia dragging a hysterical Casey Novak in her office.

"Counselor, we have a prob-"

"I don't want to testify in court!" Casey shrieked with tears in her face "He'll be there, and I can't do this!"

"My usual pep talk didn't help this time" Olivia explained, still holding Casey's arm "I figured you can create your own pep talk."

"Listen up Novak"

Casey stopped screaming and wiped her tears with her free hand.

"You know the rules of law, correct?" Greyleck asked

"Yes"

"Then you know that if you don't testify, I can subpoena you to testify. If you still don't testify, then you can go jail" Kim said roughly "Do you want to go to jail?"

"No" Casey muttered, knowing that Greyleck was right.

"Casey, I know this is going to be hard for you" Olivia said, letting go of her arm and walking in front of her "But remember that you deserve justice. Remember what Elliot said."

"She's right" Kim said "Don't think that you can't do this, because you can. You were a good prosecutor and I'm damn sure that you can be a good witness in this trial."

Casey took a deep breath and nodded.

"You're right. Let's put my bastard ex-boyfriend in jail."

* * *

"I'd like to bring Casey Novak to the stand."

Seconds after Greyleck announced this to the court, Casey walked in. She knew that all eyes were on her, making it more difficult to believe that she's the witness, not the prosecutor. She sat down on the stand next to the judge. Kim got up to her seat and walked forward.

",do you know the defendant?"

"Yes"

"How do you know him?"

"I met him at New York University where I'm going to get my elementary education degree" Casey explained "He was in one of my classes when I started there. He asked me out on a date the first day we met."

"Was he always that nice to you?" Kim asked, walking over to the jury

"He was at first. He was sweet, considerate…he was everything I wanted in a guy."

"What happened?"

"He started abusing me a few weeks into our relationship" Casey said. She was trying so hard not to look at Mark, but it was starting to be tempting. Kim knew that Casey was uncomfortable, so she walked over and stood in front of Mark.

"Can you tell the court what happened on June 10th of this year?"

"I was laying down on the couch reading a book when Mark came home. He was complaining about his boss, and I told him in a positive way to stick up for himself. He took it the wrong way, grabbed my neck and brought me to the bedroom."

Casey's emotions were starting to show as her eyes started to water. She stopped talking for a minute before continuing.

"He shoved me on the bed, punched me a few times so I felt weak, and he even broke my arm as he was taking his clothes off. He took off his clothes, and he raped me."

"Did anything else happen?" Kim asked.

"Yes, he pulled out his gun from his back pocket and shot me in the leg."

"Thank you. No further questions."

Casey was dreading the next part. Kim walked over to her table and sat down while Donna Emmett, the lawyer Casey worked against in her last case, got up from her seat.

"So you're saying that my client broke your arm, raped you, and then shot you in the leg?" she asked.

"That's correct" Casey replied, standing her ground. Somehow she knew what the defense lawyer was going to ask next.

"Are you sure? You have a history of lying to a jury..."

"Objection!" Kim said, standing up. She knew that the defense lawyer was going to push the issue of Casey violating Brady "What is the relevance of this?"

"The relevance is to show that the witness has a history of lying and manipulating people."

"Just because I violated Brady?"

Kim, Donna and the judge turned their heads to Casey.

"I may be out of line by saying something, but I'm not stupid" Casey snapped "My Brady Violation has nothing to do with this case."

"Miss. Novak has a point" the judge said as she looked at Donna "Watch what you say, or I'll throw you in jail and disbar you myself."

Kim and Casey looked at each other and exchanged a small smile as Donna almost fell over. Kim sat down, and Donna looked back at Casey. The defense lawyer didn't look too happy.

"Do you have proof that my client shot you in the leg?"

"As a matter of fact, I do" Casey said, not wasting any time showing everyone in the court room the scar on her right leg. The scar was very visible from the sugery, located a few inches below her knee. Then she dropped her pant leg to make the scar out of sight.

"Are you sure it was even my client?"

"As much as you hate me because I did everything I could to play the game, I hate to say that I'm not lying to you like I did then."

Donna gave her a dirty look before looking at the jury.

"I have no more questions for this witness" Donna said, walking back to her seat. Casey could only show a defeating smile as the judge said that she could step down.

* * *

The judge looked at the jury about two hours later, asking them whether Mark was guilty on the charge of rape in the third degree.

"We find the defendant guilty"

Casey smiled, and Olivia saw a glow in her eyes and they sat together.

"On the charge of assault in the second degree, how do you find the defendant?" the judge

"We find the defendant guilty."

Casey knew that she did it. She made a good witness and brought Donna Emmett down. Emmett was never a smart lawyer, regardless of her comeback on Casey's last case.

She didn't hear what the judge said and instead, she heard the gravel slam. Many people in the courtroom were leaving. Casey and Olivia stood up, and waited for Kim to join them.

"Good job on making Emmett look like an idiot, Novak" Kim said with a grin on her face "Maybe you were one of the best prosecutors."

"Thank you."

"Well, another perp in jail" Olivia said "Hopefully that one gets at least ten years."

"You can count on it. The judge won't let him off that easily" Kim said as the three of them walked out of the courtroom "Let's go out to the nearby bar and celebrate"

"I can't."

Olivia and Kim turned back and saw Casey, who stopped walking.

"Are you sure?" Kim asked "The three of us deserve it."

"No, go ahead without me" Casey said "You deserve dinner more than I do."

"Okay. We'll see you later"

Kim and Olivia started walking, but Olivia knew something was wrong.

"Kim, can I meet up with you and everyone else at the bar?

"Why?"

"Because I think there's something wrong with Casey"

"Sure, I'll tell everyone that you're on your way."

"Thanks"

Kim walked out of the courthouse while Olivia ran the other direction. She saw Casey's red curly hair in the crowd, walking towards another exit of the courthouse.

"Casey!"

She heard to see Olivia running after her. Seconds later, Olivia was walking with her.

"You didn't want to go out and drink either?" Casey asked, opening the door for her friend.

"Well, I thought that it was weird that you didn't want to go out with everyone and have a drink."

Casey led Olivia to a bench across the courthouse and the both of them sat down.

"Casey, what's wrong?" Olivia asked

"Liv, I can't stay here. Not after what happened to me..."

"What do you mean?"

Casey sighed and looked Olivia straight in the eye.

"I loved New York City, and always will. But too much has happened here that is unbearable to think about. My disbarment, Mark, this case; it's too much for me. I had a new life when I was disbarred. Sure, I didn't move across the country, but it was all new to me. I wasn't a lawyer, and I was back in school with a bunch of crazy party college kids" Casey explained as she reached out and held Olivia's hand "But now I need to start over. I need to move on where I can find my new career and a new man I can possibly spend the rest of my life with. I need another new life."

Casey knew that this was hard for Olivia. Tears streamed down Olivia's face, while Casey remained emotionless, but optimistic.

"But why?"

"Because in this other new life that I'm about to begin, I know that everything will go right for me" Casey replied "I'll move to Seattle, the city I always wanted to live in, to be an elementary school teacher with a loving boyfriend. You understand, don't you?"

But Olivia didn't understand. The worse thing that can ever happen is one of her friends moving to the other side of the country. She started sobbing while Casey reached over and wrapped her arms around her in a hug.

"I...I don't want you to leave!" Olivia sobbed.

"I don't want to leave either, but I have to."

Casey let go and stood up from the bench.

"Will...Will I ever hear from you when you get there?" Olivia asked.

"Did I ever contact you after I was disbarred?"

"No, you didn't."

"Another new life for me means not contacting anyone here" Casey said, taking a step away from the bench, but then turning back to her friend "But I'll always remember you, Olivia. You're one of my best friends. You were always there for me, even when we had our arguments. But don't you think someone else in your life deserves your friendship now?"

Olivia knew who she was talking about. She quickly walked over to Casey and gave her one last hug.

"You want me to be friends with Kim, don't you?"

"Exactly; will you do that for me?"

* * *

Olivia walked into the bar, and the rest of the squad saw her walk in.

"Liv! You're here!" Munch said "Why don't you enjoy yourself?"

"No thanks."

Everyone knew that something was wrong when she slumped in the empty chair of hers.

"What's wrong?" Fin asked.

"Casey...Casey's gone" Olivia said, trying not to cry again.

"What do you mean by that?" Elliot asked

"I mean she's starting over. She's starting another new life by moving to Seattle and never coming back."

The group was dead silent. Even though Kim didn't know her as well as the others, she was still shocked to hear that Casey Novak was moving across the country. The captain raised his shot glass.

"Everyone, raise your glasses."

Everyone took their shot glasses and raised their glasses.

"This toast is for the best of the best" the captain said "This toast is for the prosecutor that we had for five years. She was a real red head attorney who always did what was right, even if it meant being disbarred. She was a real trooper, especially when she was a victim of a crime. We had our bad moments and our good moments with this woman for the past six years, but we love her. We wish her the best of luck as she starts over. This toast is for Casey Novak."

By the time the captain finished his toast, everyone had some sort of tear in their eyes.

"Cheers" Elliot said.

They hit their glasses together as a group and then chugged whatever was in their shot glass. Olivia excused herself to get a drink. But instead of coming back with her drink, she sat down at the bar alone as she quickly ran her drink. She started thinking about all the memories she had with Casey, and wondered how she could possibly leave everyone like this.

By the third drink, someone joined her at the bar and sat down next to her.

"Hey"

She turned to see that Kim was sitting next to Olivia. The bartender gave Kim her drink, and the both of them stayed silent for awhile until Olivia spoke up.

"Do you know what the last advice that Casey ever gave me?"

"What?"

"She advised me to be a good friend to you like I was to her."

Kim smiled a little as Olivia finished her third drink.

"Well, I guess that makes a lot of sense since she's gone" Kim said, looking at her glass with her untouched drink "Who else are you going to turn to when you're this depressed?"

"Who else am I going to argue with when we have different views on a case?"

"That happened between you and Casey?" Kim asked with a confused tone in her voice.

"Yeah, we did. She screwed up a case with a mentally ill guy, and I ended up giving McCoy a police record and asked him to give Casey a very harsh lecture."

"What does the police record-"

"Have to do with it?" Olivia said, finishing Kim's sentence "The police report had to do with her mentally ill ex-boyfriend attacking her."

"Oh"

There was another lull of silence. The bartender gave Olivia her fourth drink and she took it in her hands. Kim raised her untouched drink, making a toast of her own.

"A toast, to Casey bringing the two women of SVU together after nine months of hating each other" Kim said "And of course, a toast for the both of us."

"Cheers"

They clicked their glasses together and drank their drinks quickly.

"Want to join the guys and see which one of them will make themselves look like a drunken idiot first?" Olivia asked Kim.

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Both woman got up and walked over to where the men of SVU were starting to feel the effects of alcohol in their bodies. That's when Olivia realized that Casey was right; it was better to have Kim there, instead of being one of the guys.

In a way, it was another new life for Olivia too.


End file.
